Learn how to roast a chicken in just a few easy steps! Roast chicken is a delicious weeknight meal that makes great leftovers for soups and more!
How to Roast a Chicken:
You won’t believe how easy it is to roast a chicken! This is one of my weeknight staples and I am excited to share all of the BEST tips for roasting a chicken for your family!
Roasting a chicken is seriously so easy, and I want to give you some simple tips for making your roast chicken juicy, flavorful, and perfectly done!
I love roasted chicken because it is is healthy, low carb, paleo, and absolutely delicious! I also love that it makes for amazing left overs and can be used to prepare homemade chicken broth!
One of the best parts of roasting a chicken, is the yummy skin! In order to get extra crispy skin, I like to generously salt the bird prior to baking it. Not too much, but a bit more than you’d normally salt meat.
If you love chicken breasts, be sure to check out my greek yogurt chicken, it’s the perfect weeknight meal!
The key to a perfectly done bird, is an instant read thermometer. You want to take the bird out when the internal temperature reaches 165 F at the most dense part of the bird.
Time needed: 1 hour
How to Roast a Chicken:
- Get your seasonings ready & preheat the oven:
Gather up the seasonings you plan on using for your roast chicken. This includes, but isn’t limited to: butter or oil, garlic, lemon, salt, pepper, and herbs. Preheat the oven to 400 F.
- Prepare the bird:
Place the bird breast side up on a plastic or silicone cutting board and pat dry with a paper towel. Then drizzle olive oil or butter and lemon juice if using. Next, sprinkle the chicken with salt, pepper, chopped garlic, and any other herbs or seasonings you plan on using.
- Bake to perfection:
Transfer the chicken to a large baking dish: a cast iron skillet works well, as does an oblong baking dish. A 9×13″ baking dish will work as well. Bake for 45 minutes, or until the internal temperature reads 165 F with an instant read thermometer.
- Rest before carving:
After the chicken is baked, place it on top of your stove or on your countertop (atop a trivet) to rest for 15 minutes. This will let the juices settle and leave you with perfectly moist meat and crispy skin!
Ingredients for a Roast Chicken:
- The most important thing is the chicken! You’ll need one, 3-4 pound whole chicken.
- Seasonings: You will also need some seasonings. Salt being a key ingredient! Then, get creative with it! I really like lemon and garlic, so that’s what I use! If you like cumin, paprika, or another spice, you can certainly use that for your roast chicken!
- Fat: You will also want to use some sort of fat to help crisp up the skin. Olive oil or butter work well! Drizzle the fat over the skin before baking!
Tips for Making Roast Chicken
Salt Generously.
In order to get extra crispy skin, give the bird a generous sprinkle of your favorite sea salt. Not *too* much, but a bit more than you'd normally salt meat. The salt helps get that skin extra crispy!
Get creative with your seasonings!
While I personally love lemon, it's not a necessary addition to your roast chicken. You can get creative with the seasonings you add to the skin! Maybe you really love spicy food? Try adding some chili powder! Cumin, herbs, and paprika are all great additions! Get creative with it!
Use butter or olive oil:
Before you sprinkle your bird with seasonings, give the skin a nice basting of olive oil or butter. Simply drizzle a little over the entire bird, or use a pastry brush to brush the bird with the fat. This will help the skin crisp up and add a lot of flavor!
Cook until it reads 165 F at the most dense part.
There's no set cook time roasting a chicken because each varies slightly in size. I've cooked roast chickens in as little at 45 minutes and as long as 90 minutes. If you have a bird larger than 4 pounds, you may have trouble cooking evenly.
If you notice that the chicken is starting to dry out or the skin is beginning to burn, but the chicken isn't at 165 F yet. Don't sweat it! Use some tin foil to loosely cover the bird and bake until it comes to temp.
The Recipe
How to Roast a Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 Whole Chicken 3-4 Pounds
- 1 Lemon
- 3-4 cloves of garlic roughly chopped
- Salt & Pepper
- Herbs of Choice optional
- Seasonings of Choice optional
- 3 tablespoons olive oil or melted butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Prepare the bird: Remove the chicken from its packaging and check the cavinty. Sometimes the cavity will hold organs or pieces of the bird. If so, remove this bag from your bird’s cavity and discard.
- Place the bird on a large plastic cutting board, breast side up. Blot dry with a paper towel.
- Begin to season the bird by dousing it with olive oil (or melted butter if using) and a few suqeezes of lemon juice. Then generously sprinkle with salt, pepper, garlic, and any other desired seasonings of choice (such as paprika, garlic powder, or cumin).
- Once the bird is seasoned, transfer to a baking dish: a cast iron skillet works well. You may also try an oval baking dish. You may even use a 9×13" baking dish if that is what is available to you.
- Place the chicken in the oven, uncovered for 45 minutes. Check the internal temperature with an instant read thermometer. The most dense part of the bird must read 165 F. If the bird is not at 165 F, continue to cook until it reaches that temperature internally.
- Note: If the skin is becoming too crisp, yet the bird is not cooked, cover loosely with foil until it comes to temperature.
- After the chicken is roasted, allow it to rest for 15 minutes before carving. Carve with a sharp knife starting with the breasts, then moving to the thighs and wings.
